Thanks, Susan. I will go do a message search. Sometimes it is hard to know what to search for but with a name that will help a lot. I forgot this was the K-8 board. I will do a cross post.

Thanks. I have the Homer Core coming and will definitely make sure she is solid with those skills. Then I will make a determination about when to start Diogenes. Great point about the poetry. I really didn't want to start the poetry this year as I felt it would be too many new things to get used to in one year. I will just figure on starting it later when I feel comfortable with the rest of the program.

How do I catch up if I am starting CW with my 8th grade dd? I will be using the Workbook for Older Beginners (22 weeks) and then Poetry for Older Beginners (12 weeks). This will take her 8th grade year. That puts us doing Diogenes and Intermediate Poetry for 9th and 10th. That only leaves me 2 years to complete the Advanced levels which contain material I definitely want her to have. If I didn't do the poetry, I could see it all fitting. But I would really like her to have the poetry study too. I am assuming it is too much to run the poetry concurrent with the other lessons? I really would like her to be doing Diogenes this year because that is more the level she is ready for in her writing. How do I fit it all in? Also, do I need to add a literature program to this? Thanks for any input you can provide. PS. Are the CW Yahoo Loop and the CW Message Boards really quiet? I didn't get any response when I posted on the loop.

Thanks. That is the direction I am leaning. And I do plan on getting the IG.' She has a really strong vocabulary so I am thinking she would be fine with just the CW.

Thanks. She is definitely strong in writing and grammar so would do just fine in "Older Beginners".

My daughter is going into 8th grade. She is a natural writer and speller. She also has a good grammar foundation. I have been looking at the samples for Aesop and it seems that that would be too easy for her as she has no trouble with the subject matter that it says Aesop covers. Would it work to start her in Homer A or should I get the Older Beginners book and skip the Aesop lessons? I know the Older Beginner book can be completed in 22 weeks. How many weeks does it generally take to go through the regular Homer course? Would I need a separate vocabulary program if I use CW? Also, how essential is the Instructor Manual? Thanks.

Can you elaborate on what you mean by VideoText being a terminal program. Also, how does it not prepare a child for upper level classes? Thanks.

My dh learns well from reading books. Unfortunately, dc and I do not. That makes a huge difference in what works well. I have heard good things about Dolciani. I'm glad it is working well for you.

The samples made a lot of sense to us so I must be dealing with different types of learners. It is so interesting how one product can work so well for one family and be horrible for another. That is the reason for this posting asking users what specifically about the program did not work. That way I can tell if we would encounter the same issues or if it would be a positive for us. The fact that the lecture notes are supposed to cover everything that the video covers is sufficient for me. Price is definitely a consideration but doesn't really indicate whether the product itself is good or not. Plus for our family, the price breaks down to about $50/class/child even if I purchase it brand new which is less than I spend for jr/sr high math right now.

Thanks. That is the type of input I wanted. I had heard about the necessity to make sure the concepts were totally cemented before moving on. I was glad to see that they have additional problems available online now.

That isn't a reason why the program didn't work. Your obsession with free products goes past frugality. And I specifically asked for comments from people who had given it a fair trial.

I have read some negative reviews of VideoText Algebra but I can't seem to find specifics on why it wasn't liked. So if you have used VT for a fair amount of time and didn't like it, what about the program didn't work for you? Thanks.

My Nutrimill has been good. And just in case nobody mentions it, the noise level is about the same as a vacuum cleaner.

If what you have planned doesn't work, definitely take a look at All About Spelling. Well worth your time to check out the samples. Laid out wonderfully. It covers phonics and spelling all in one. AAS will teach (or concrete) reading.

Did you schedule the extra readers or did you just use them "book basket" style? I am planning on sitting down with HO2 Ancients and All Through the Ages and coming up with something I am happy with.

That sounds like a bummer. I'll have to check that out when I get everything here.

Is it the 2004 edition that is scheduled in HO? I will be using Ancients Level 2.

I have been reading several negative reviews of the Kingfisher History Encyclopedia. What can you all tell me about your experience with it? I don't know if they are only referring to the 2004 edition or also the 1999 edition.

I think I am going to get the HO, KFE, Victor Journey Through the Bible, and All Through the Ages. Then I will sit down and put a plan together. I love planning anyway. And with book choices all organized for me through ATTA, I think I can pull this off. ATTA also has a timeline for each country that lists both Bible and secular history together which is exactly what I was wanting. There is a sample here if you haven't seen the new edition.

Biblioplan was my other choice, but I had already looked at HO and knew I wanted to outlining and summaries scheduled out like they were. It could be worth using it for scheduling though.

Check into All American History if you want a textbook, notebooking, living books mix. You can see samples at Bright Ideas Press.

That would be awesome. I'll PM you with my email address. I was contemplating adding the Trail Guide and Victor JTB. Thanks.

Mystery of History is one that I think would probably be a good fit. My problem is I owned it a couple years ago and sold it. Urgh! But we will be listening to Diana Waring's What in the World's Going on Here? along with the history. So that will give me some of what I want if not all.

Definitely the stoneware! The bar pan is my favorite. I rarely use any other type of baking containers since I got mine. And, yes, it gets grungy-looking as you season it. If it looks pretty, it still needs work. (My mil can't handle that fact.)

Has anyone added a Christian element to History Odyssey Ancients Level Two? I am trying to decide what I want to do in that regard. I figured before I went and reinvented the wheel I would check with other users. I was originally planning on using a history curriculum that ran both an ancient history thread and a Bible history thread together. However, I really like how HO is set up. So dd will be doing an Old Testament Bible study separately. But I would also like to add something like Victor Journey Through the Bible. It is also lighter on other books than I want and am wondering if someone has scheduled additional reading into the program. Thanks.